Beautiful Legends
by BigBoss3
Summary: After learning that her father has ventured into the Arctic wilderness in search of the Frankenstein Monster, Adelaide begins a journey of her own; alone and naive, trying to find her only parent. To her horror and amazement, she meets the man of myth and legend, in the unblemished white of the Arctic.
1. Chapter 1

_**I've become kind of obsessed with the movie The Frankenstein Theory. The plot revolves around a young professor's theory that Mary Shelley's book was based on actual events and masked as fiction. He and a team of filmmakers travel into the Canadian wilderness to find the creature.**_

_**The film is filled with amazing scenery, great dialogue and on-point acting. However, there's a lot I would have added to it, so thank god Fanfiction is a thing.**_

_**I'm splicing The Frankenstein Theory with a story of my own. I don't own the film, nor Mary Shelley's book.**_

* * *

><p>Canada was bittersweet; in every direction, a never-ending expanse of unblemished wilderness. Beautiful in a way nothing else could be beautiful.<p>

However, the cold was nearly unbearable. No matter how many layers you wore, or logs you stacked on the fire, the cold was still there. With it came a feeling of loneliness, of dread.

Adelaide knew loneliness. It was the reason she moved North with her father; to cure her own sorrows as well as his.

When her father told her that his plan was to move to Alberta, near the Southern borders of the Northwest Territories, she was unsure and hesitant. Things were bad enough in Pennsylvania; no friends and no family, aside from him. The weather was dreary, and the house...

_The air still carried her mother's perfume. _

Every day had been filled with small, simple tortures, and all the wonderful memories of her turned painful. Her father rarely left his study, pushing his emotions aside and focusing all of himself on some new, mysterious book.

_"I can't finish it here, Adelaide. Too many distraction, too much noise. We could be happy there."_

Maybe he had been right. Maybe the frigid stillness and gentle majesty of Alberta was what they both needed._  
><em>

The large cabin he had purchased was luxurious; each room heavy with the smell of cedar and smoke, the large windows laced with delicate frost each day. The closest town was nearly 45 minutes away, the roads leading there icy and treacherous. Taking a step back from it all, Adelaide could see it was a hidden paradise. Still...

They'd been settled in for nearly a month, but more than half of their belongings had yet to be unpacked. Her father spent more time with his work than ever he had, barely eating or sleeping. Each time she asked about the book, he changed the subject or waved her off.

Adelaide spent her time drawing the landscapes she could see from her window each day, drowning in the heavy silence of the cabin. She'd gone into town once with her father, to get groceries and firewood. Although a very welcome interruption in her sad, daily routine, it had been anti-climatic.

Deep inside, she felt something sinister and deadly drawing nearer and nearer every day. A nameless fear. It was eating away at her.

She was frightened.

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><p>It was the first day of November. Adelaide had woken up minutes before daybreak, trembling and glistening with sweat.<p>

She never used to have such nightmares. They'd plagued her every night since the first they'd spent in Alberta. It made her feel weak, childish. Nineteen years old and nearly crying over night terrors.

Sighing, she pushed back her damp, curly hair and hugged a pillow to herself, the warmth of the bed already gone.

_She wanted her mother. She wanted her dear father to finish his book and make her feel important again._

Already sick with depression, the frail girl slipped out of her bed and headed towards the promise of a hot shower.

Something stopped her.

Her sad, round eyes fell on a folded piece of paper sitting on her desk. Her name was scribble on the front, in a familiar handwriting.

Cautiously, her hand picked up the textured stationary and opened it.

_'My Adelaide,_

_I am sorry for all that has happened; your mother's death, my shortcomings as a father, bringing you here. I've hidden things from you as well, but only for your protection. You must understand. My work, my book, is dangerous. My research is dangerous. I have discovered something so unimaginable, so terrifying, that it was my duty to keep it from you. From anyone, really; at least, until I have proven my theory and leave no room for reasonable doubt. _

Adelaide felt hot tears spring in her eyes, and continued reading.

_'When you were a little girl, you would ask me incessantly to tell you stories. Not of beautiful princesses and brave knights, but stories about the things that go bump in the night. Dark, haunting tales. You were so curious, so fearless. Audra would always scold me for filling your head with such nonsense._

_Do you remember the story of the Frankenstein Monster? It was your favorite. The mad scientist who pieced together a human being and brought it to life? _

_It's true, Adelaide. It's all true. It isn't just a piece of morbid fiction. Mary Shelley's book was based on facts and real events. Just like the monster, she stitched together a series of letters to create her one and only masterpiece. I came across these letters, sifted through the novel to find whatever truth it held. My mind has been bent on one thing only; to find him. To find the Frankenstein monster._

_I know, my little Adelaide, that you're questioning my sanity. I find myself doing the same thing. Unfortunately, I know I'm right. I feel it, in my heart and soul. He's in the Arctic Circle, the most important and most brilliant scientific creation in the huge expanse of human history. If I can find him, it will change everything. _

_I do not pursue this with myself in mind. I would give my life to this cause, to show the world that he isn't the Hollywood monster we have made him out to be; his intelligence is unsurpassed, his strength monumental. His loneliness crippling. Please, do not hate me. If I make it back, don't give me grief. You are filled with passion, so much more than you are willing to show. You inherited that passion from me. I know that if you look inside yourself, you will understand why I am doing this. _

_Do not worry. I've seen to it that you'll have everything you need while I am on this venture. Do not bother calling my phone; I left it on the kitchen counter. I certainly won't be able to get service in the wilderness. _

_I love you so much, Adelaide. You are my greatest achievement. I know that your mother is proud of her beautiful, inquisitive daughter. You are wise beyond your years, but so afraid of the world; the world is waiting for you. _

_With all my love, _

_Daddy.'_

Adelaide held the letter with shaking hands, her eyes burning with sadness. Crying, she fell to the ground.


	2. Chapter 2

_What had happened to her world? She was utterly alone._

Adelaide sobbed violently, going over the letter again and again.

Her father, the famous Joseph Favre, chasing after a character in a fiction novel; it was too much to take, too ridiculous to believe.

_'I know that if you look inside yourself, you will understand why I am doing this.'_

Adelaide didn't know what he had meant. What passion could she possibly have inside herself? All her life, a quiet little mouse. Alone in her room, drawing anything and everything, daydreaming of beauty and adventure. Only speaking when spoken to, always obeying the rules and then some but wishing that she could go against everything she was taught.

Her crying slowed, becoming mere sniffles.

He was all she had in the world. She wasn't going to let him die in the barren, unforgiving cold. She was going to bring him back.

* * *

><p>After filling a small backpack with the warmest clothes she could find, Adelaide ran downstairs to her father's study. She opened the door and peeked inside.<p>

The room was paneled in dark mahogany, the walls decorated with maps and pins, dates and documents. None of them appeared useful.

Adelaide hurried inside and began rifling through drawers of her father's desk; knowing him, he would've taken anything that she could use to find him, but in case he'd left something behind...

Meaningless paper after meaningless paper, until all three drawers were empty, their contents littering the floor. Feeling hopeless, the girl scanned the room, her heartbeat quickening.

"Please, please..."

Her brown eyes met the large, built-in bookshelf, each level filled with first editions. She walked over to it, small fingers feelings underneath and between the books. Searching, searching...

"Mary Shelley's Frankenstein," Adelaide whispered to herself as she read the worn lettering of a leather-bound book. Frantically, she pulled it from the shelf and flipped through the pages; a piece of paper fell to her feet.

Hesitantly, the girl picked it up and unfolded it.

_A map!_

It was a map of the Northern Territories. Scribbles and arrows, dots and notes made with red ink covered most of it. In the bottom-left corner, her father had written 'The Creature's Path'.

A chill ran down her pale limbs; he really, _truly_ believed.

It didn't really matter. She just had to believe that she could find him before something terrible happened. The thought to call the police had crossed her mind and left quickly; if something like this became public, his reputation would be destroyed. His life, his _death, _rested on her shoulders.

Pressing the map against her chest, taking in a deep breath, Adelaide went over to the desk and opened her father's Mac.

There were arrangements to be made.


End file.
